


Little shadows

by apathyinreverie



Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: De-Aged Characters, F/M, Family, Gen, M/M, Post-Canon, Siblings, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-19
Updated: 2019-06-03
Packaged: 2019-11-24 08:08:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,419
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18163022
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/apathyinreverie/pseuds/apathyinreverie
Summary: "Um, hi, Magnus? It's Klaus." A pause. "I kind of... I need your help."-When the timetravel goes a little more sideways than they had anticipated, it leaves them stuck in their kid bodies, in a universe where their adult alter egos are still around. And not wanting to screw up the timeline too badly, they simply have nowhere to go.So, Klaus decides to call the one person who he knows will always help him if he needs it, no questions asked.





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this 'verse, Magnus found Klaus living on the streets after he ran away from home and took him in as he is wont to do with his Downworlder children. I might write some flashbacks about that at some point :)

For the first time since they were teenagers, they are all back together again. Not only in the same room or gathered out of obligation to pay respects to their father despite not actually mourning his passing. No, for the first time they are together because they want to be here, together with the same purpose.

The seven of them on that stage in a kind-of circle holding on to each other - well, Vanya is unconscious in Luther's arms and Ben is holding on to Klaus' shoulder - as Five's powers swirl in the air and the world ends around them.

There is a deafening rumbling coming from the outside and people screaming in terror.

So, apparently, the apocalypse really is happening.

"This is it, people," Five yells over the noise.

And then - with a flash of blinding, swirling, twisting, blue light - they are gone.

Traveling through time sucks just as much as it did last time in Klaus' opinion.

It's like being squeezed into a place far too small for your body, while also being stretched so thin that you feel like you have to hold on to various parts of yourself for fear of something just drifting away. Like being folded into a tiny, tiny square while also being torn apart into countless pieces. Light as a feather but so heavy you can barely breathe.

And somewhere in that weird in-between place of twisting blue light and contradicting sensations, Five slumps, losing consciousness, the strain of transporting them all through time clearly too much. Diego and Allison immediately tighten their grip on their brother so as not to lose him somewhere between decades.

And suddenly the ride gets even bumpier, the previously rather uncomfortable, contradicting sensations becoming almost unbearable, painful, and then with another final heave, they are spat out, crashing to a hard floor somewhere – some _when_ \- in a tangle of limbs.

Everything hurts, their bodies heavy, it's hard to breathe and they have entirely lost any relation to reality, no way to tell yet which way is up and which way is down.

Klaus takes it back. This second go at timetraveling was far worse.

Time travel really sucks.

That’s their unanimous assessment as they promptly, collectively pass out.

+++

When they come to, they are in a hospital.

Someone must have noticed the heap of unconscious children lying on the ground somewhere and called emergency services on them.

How incredibly inconvenient.

Sure, they might not have had the chance to come up with an actual plan for how to handle the time travel – they didn’t really have time for anything before they decided to flee the apocalypse by going backwards through time - but getting the authorities involved definitely hadn't been on anyone's agenda.

They’ve also been put into different hospital rooms, which is just inacceptable.

Klaus looks down at himself - _yep, I'm  really a kid again_ \- then around himself, sees the strangers in the other two beds in his room and then promptly gets up, pulling the IV needle from his arm and goes wandering off in search of his siblings.

The first one he runs into is Luther who is clearly on the same quest as Klaus, although he is also dragging his IV stand around with him.

“You take the left, I take the right,” Luther asserts, waving him to one side of the corridor. Klaus gives an accepting shrug and then they proceed down the corridor, sticking their heads into every room to check for their missing siblings.

Luther is just about to pull open a door when it is opened from the other side and out step Allison and Diego. Assessing glances all around, making sure no one is obviously hurt – some habits from going on missions together are rather hard to break - but everyone seems fine. Well, aside from the fact that they all shrunk to about half their previous size.

But still, that makes four of them.

Then it’s only two more doors until they find their three remaining siblings.

And Klaus just freezes in the doorway for a second, staring at Ben. Ben who stares back. Ben who is real. Ben who is alive in his very own hospital bed, the sheets bunched around his waist, looking so insanely lost and whose eyes immediately fix on Klaus.

And Klaus practically squeals as he leaps across the room, tackling his brother - the brother he hasn’t been able to touch for more than a decade - wrapping all of his limbs around Ben in an octopus-style hug. He has absolutely no intention of letting go any time soon either.

A sentiment that is clearly mirrored by Ben, who immediately wraps his arms just as tightly around Klaus, tucking his face against his neck, breathing out rather shakily. And Klaus can feel the slight trembling in Ben's hands where he is gripping Klaus' shirt at his back, hidden from everyone else but very much noticeable to Klaus.

And Klaus just tightens his hold, leans his head against the side of Ben's for a few seconds, reaffirming to himself that he is going to stay right where he is until someone physically forces him to move. Possibly not even then. They might have to bring out the crowbars if they want to separate him from his brother.

Of course, that’s the exact moment a nurse appears in the doorway behind their other siblings, scolding them for the noise and telling them they need to go back to their own beds in their own rooms. Klaus practically hisses at the woman.

Thankfully, Allison is able to use Klaus’ dramatics as a cover for rumoring the nurse into letting them all squeeze into the same room. Which at least leaves them all in the same room, even if Vanya and Five are still unconscious.

Diego promptly steps up to Ben’s bed.

“Scoot over,” he grumbles at Klaus, gesturing at them to make room for Diego to fit onto the bed with them. Klaus shifts so he is hugging Ben sideways – no way is he letting go entirely – but it makes enough room for Diego to squeeze onto the bed on Ben’s other side.

Luther and Allison watch the shifting around, shrug and promptly follow suit, settling at the other end of the bed and soon the five of them are piled onto the one tiny bed. Something which definitely wouldn’t be possible if they were still adult sized.

Well, Luther alone would be taking up two beds in that case, so there’s that.

Of course Diego is grumbling about the lack of space despite being the instigator of their cuddle puddle, but Klaus definitely doesn’t miss the way Diego also seems to have a rather tight grip on one of Ben’s arms, the same way Allison has a hand wrapped around one of Ben’s ankles.

Only Luther seems unsure whether he is allowed to touch, but the big oaf has always had problems reading situations, too careful when there is absolutely no need and entirely insensitive in situations that would actually require a bit – or a whole lot - of tact. Good heart but completely socially inept.

_Thank you, daddy dearest, for screwing us all up so very effectively._

“So, what now?” Allison finally asks.

Klaus just shrugs, knowing what their next step should be but having no interest in speeding up the process.

He knows they should call home to let someone know just where they are at – who knows why the time travel decided to spit them out in some random place in the city – but he is in absolutely no hurry to have any sort of contact with their father. Every minute without having to see that man – even if it is just delaying the inevitable – is a win in his eyes.

A sentiment apparently shared by his siblings because no one else is speaking up to state the obvious either.

“Where’s the remote?” Luther finally asks instead of answering Allison's question.

They all look at him with raised eyebrows.

He rolls his eyes. “Maybe we should figure out exactly how far we traveled back before we actually have to talk to anyone. Seems like a easy way to blow our cover if we can’t even tell anyone which year we are in.”

“Point.” Diego concedes magnanimously and then reaches for the remote on the bedside table, switching on the TV, quickly finding a news channel.

And that’s the exact point where they realize that things are even less straightforward than they had assumed until now.

Having been de-aged to their barely teen bodies, Klaus - and likely the others as well - had simply assumed that they must have traveled back a matching amount of years, meaning about fifteen to twenty years back in time.

Which doesn't seem to be the case at all, however.

Instead, it seems like they barely made it eight years to the past. Which means that they _should_ actually be around twenty right now instead of the kids they clearly are.

How does this make any sense?

Next step is a phone call to their father's house, which is answered by Luther's adult alter ego - making Diego promptly hang up again - confirming that they aren't actually the only versions of themselves in this universe right now.

And they just stare at each other for a few moments, feeling more than a little blindsided by this turn of events.

Finally, Diego speaks up, "So to recap, we are currently eight years in the past, but have been de-aged by about twenty years and we didn't replace our other selves who are still here and who are also at the age they are supposed to be?"

"Seems like it," Luther replies, even though it sounds more like a question than an actual statement.

Why does timetravel have to be so frustratingly confusing?

“How can we only have traveled back by a few years but we are still stuck as kids? How does that make sense?” Diego grumbles at Klaus.

Who immediately protests. “Hey, don’t look at me. I timetraveled once and it was with that weird suitcase. I have no idea how this whole time travel paradox thing works. The only thing I know about time travel is that it sucks and the headache doesn’t leave you for days afterwards.”

"Wait, you timetraveled before?" Luther asks, clearly surprised. Sometimes Klaus forgets that most of his siblings don't actually know about that little fact.

Before he can reply, however, Allison speaks up again. "Wait, so there are currently two versions of us running around?" she states more than asks, clearly still stuck on that aspect. “Is that... Was that supposed to happen?”

They all glance at the still unconscious Five two beds over.

Klaus sighs in irritation. "Why is it that the _one time_ we could actually really do with Five's smartass commentary about our idiocy while he explains the universe to us, it's also the exact time our little psycho decides now is the perfect chance to be unconscious?"

Klaus can feel Ben's amused grin against the skin of his neck where his brother still has his face buried. At least Ben’s hands have stopped shaking at this point. Klaus doesn’t even want to imagine what it must be like to go from being dead for more than a decade and suddenly being alive again. So, Ben gets all the time he needs to regain his composure. Even if that turns out to be a few days. Or weeks.

However fucking long he wants, really.

Klaus will make sure of it. See if he doesn't.

But none of this really change anything about their current problem.

While they might not know nearly as much about time travel as their brother, the past few days in the future have certainly taught them that messing with the timeline too much brings temporal assassins down on your head, hell-bent on taking you out to fix whatever you changed.

And they just got rid of the last ones hunting them. Klaus is entirely disinterested in having to deal with another pair like Hazel and Cha-Cha. No, siree.

So, no messing with the timeline. At least not until they can get Five's assessment of the situation. They don't even know whether meeting your own alter ego might have disastrous consequences of some sort like science fiction makes you believe. Accordingly, calling home and letting everyone in on them having traveled back in time to stop the apocalypse definitely isn't an option right now.

Not that Klaus was particularly eager to go back home to experience another childhood under Reginald Hargreeves' roof anyway.

But that also kind of leaves them without anyone to call to pick them up or to sign out their siblings from the hospital, seeing as they all look like teenagers. And, sure, Allison could rumor a few nurses into letting them go, but her powers will run out at some point - especially now that she is so much younger, who knows just what her stamina is like at this point - and their presence here has likely already been noted down in various places, which will make them runaways and thus flying under the radar is going to be so much harder.

Especially so if they have to drag their two still unconscious siblings around with them.

And then, there is a knock on the door and a nice cop lady comes into their room to tell them that social services are there and to assure them that they'll be taken care of soon.

Which is a completely different set of problems they haven't even considered yet.

“Guys, we need to do something. We can’t go into the system," Allison whispers urgently. "What if we get separated? What if Vanya ends up somewhere alone?"

Yeah, no. They can't risk that happening.

If they go into the system, being separated is kind of a given. The likelihood of any sort of foster home having room for seven children at once it pretty much nonexistent.

And having Vanya wake up alone without any of them around to explain what happened really doesn't seem like a good idea. At all.

"We need someplace where we are guaranteed to stay together,” Luther whispers, clearly trying to keep the urgency out of his voice, trying to appear calm, but his eyes give away that he is just as clueless as the rest of them about what to do.

Diego starts swearing not quite silently - gaining himself a rather disapproving look from the police woman waiting in the doorway - and gets up from the bed to pace around. Klaus thinks that it’s absolutely adorable to see Diego’s formerly so impressive scowl on his now much younger face.

Luther is frowning at nothing and Allison gets up as well to sit on Vanya’s bed instead. Even Ben has by now mostly untucked himself from Klaus' hug, although their sides stay pressed together.

Touch is good. Touch means Ben is here. And honestly, if nothing else comes from this entire mess, then the fact that Ben is actually _alive_ again is more than enough in Klaus' opinion to make up for whatever may come their way.

But everyone's minds are clearly scrambling, trying to come up with a solution to their current problem.

They can't call their father because they don't know what effect that might have on the timeline and they don't have anyone else they can call who they can trust and who is familiar enough with the phenomenally weird that they won't balk at the idea of timetravel or de-aging.

But what are they supposed to do with two unconscious teenagers and nowhere to go?

Although, no matter what happens, come hell or high water, there is absolutely no way at all that Klaus is willing to let himself be separated from Ben at any point in the near future. Or ever, really. He just got his brother back. He's not letting Ben leave his side for the next decade or so.

So, if worse really comes to worst, if they are forced into the system and then separated, then they can always run away to live on the streets. Klaus knows how to survive on the streets, has done it before - even if Ben had already been a ghost at that point - and he can do it again.

Then again, last time they also got help only a few weeks into their attempt of living on the streets.

Klaus tilts his head.

Now there’s a thought.

Come to think of it, there _is_ in fact one person he knows who won’t even blink at all the more-than-slightly-weird shit in their lives and who'd sooner rip off his own limbs than let any harm come to a single person under his protection.

Magnus Bane had found him living on the streets when he was fifteen, out of his minds on drugs and talking to his dead brother. The man had taken him in and given him a place to call home. What followed were the best two years of Klaus' - and weirdly enough also Ben's - life and to this day there is nothing he regrets more than his decision to leave, to try making it on his own.

But no matter how they parted, Klaus knows that Magnus will always help him if he needs it, no questions asked.

He turns towards his siblings, about to bring up his idea with them but that’s also the exact moment two more people – a man and a woman – enter the room, introducing themselves as their social workers and then promptly going into this spiel of how they'll all be taken care of and that there are some nice families waiting for them and how they'll be taken to some nice places - _note the plural_ \- for the night and then they'll see about finding them all a nice place to maybe stay permanently after that.

And Klaus doesn't even really wait for them finish.

He gets up from the bed - although he still doesn't let go of Ben entirely - and cuts right across what the female social worker is currently saying, demanding out loud, "We want to call our foster dad."

All eyes - police, nurses, social workers as well as his siblings' - swing towards him. There are a few moments of silence.

Then the woman says with a frown, "Your foster dad? I thought you told the police you didn’t have anywhere to stay."

But at the same time the man asks, "You kids already have a place? You are all staying together somewhere?"

Klaus nods at him while affecting his best 'duh' expression, as though the social workers should have somehow, miraculously already know about this completely bullshit claim of his.

The adults in the room turn to focus on his siblings as if to check the veracity of Klaus' statement. But at this point his siblings have thankfully already managed to wipe the surprise off their own faces, nodding and quite convincingly pretending to know what the hell Klaus is talking about.

Ben is even smiling a little - swinging his legs over the side of the bed to sit right next to where Klaus is standing, their sides pressed together - probably having realized just where Klaus might be going with this and thankfully also approving. Ben has always really liked Magnus.

Well the female social worker clearly doesn't believe them at all.

"And just who might this foster father be?" she asks, sounding impressively skeptical.

"His name is Magnus Bane," Ben asserts, speaking up for the first time since they arrived in the past.

The social worker still looks doubtful but even the rest of their siblings just nod along, not letting their own confusion show, seemingly willing to just go with whatever Klaus and Ben have up their sleeves.

And with Ben grinning at his side, Klaus suddenly feels rather confident about this idea. So, he just adds cheerfully, "Magnus is actually quite a big deal in Brooklyn."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I've been looking for a Klaus-knows-Magnus story but haven't been able to find any (and why in the world isn't that a thing yet?!), so my brain has been throwing plot bunnies at me and this is me giving in XD 
> 
> I'm not sure yet whether I'll turn this into a full-fledged story or whether this will just be glimpses into this 'verse or whether I'll even continue this at all. And if I do continue this, I haven't quite made up my mind yet whether to make this post SH canon (with Magnus and Alec maybe even being married and taking in the whole lot) or pre SH canon (with Alec meeting a Magnus who has an entire cluster of overly protective and rather opinionated kids occupying his loft).
> 
> And I don't know whether anyone else has been wishing for a sh/tua crossover but I would absolutely love some feedback, especially regarding which way to go in case I continue this. Because either way would be utterly adorable in my opinion :D


	2. Chapter 2

Ben watches with his siblings as the adults file out of their hospital room.

Klaus and Allison's purposely obvious yawning had convinced the nurses that the dear, poor children needed some more rest and thus they are now being given some more 'time to recover'.

Being children again certainly makes manipulating others much easier than it had been as adults.

Of course, before leaving the social workers had also asked them for Magnus’ number – probably wanting to make sure that Klaus’ story checks out – and Ben had joined the others in looking at them as if they were insane for assuming that in the age of cell phones they would know anyone’s number by heart.

Well, of course Ben and Klaus do in fact know Magnus’ number. Even if Klaus ever forgot, there is no way Ben wouldn’t make sure to remember the number of the one person he knows will always come to his brother’s aid, whether he be in prison, the hospital, rehab, just stranded on the side of the road or on the other side of the world. So yeah, _of course_ they know the number.

But they also need to buy themselves a little bit of time, need the social workers to be distracted for a bit. So they have a chance to call Magnus first, preferably before he is contacted by social services regarding the seven kids he is supposedly fostering.

Always happy to help or not, even Magnus might need at least _some_ sort of warning for this.

So, the two social workers retreat to the corridor - with a whole lot of reassurances about not having to worry about anything at all and that the adults will get everything sorted out in no time - to try and find Magnus’ number in the registry, which really shouldn't take all that long, seeing as there aren’t going to be all that many Magnus Banes living in New York much less specifically in Brooklyn.

And as soon as they are alone, Klaus immediately scrambles over to the landline in the room and the rest of them follows, crowding around the bedside table with him.

“Who is ‘Magnus’?” Luther immediately demands, throwing a glance over his shoulder to make sure that none of the adults are close enough to overhear.

Klaus, who is busy punching the number into the phone, pauses, then glances at Ben, clearly failing to come up with a way to adequately describe Magnus Bane.

Ben just shrugs at him. He can’t think of a way to put all that is Magnus into words - and actually do the man justice - either.

Klaus hums and turns back to the others, opening his mouth and clearly about to say something. But then he pauses once more, glances back at Ben, as a rather amused expression starts to spread over his face.

Only then does Ben remember that he is actually _alive_ again, that he is not a ghost anymore, that he can now make himself heard and doesn’t have to rely on Klaus all the time.

But excuse them for maybe forgetting. This sort of thing - Klaus being asked a question, pretending to hem and haw over his answer as he waits for Ben to give an indication of his thoughts on the matter, and then more often than not answering with some sort of mix of both their opinions on any given topic - is simply ingrained at this point.

They've been doing exactly this since they were teenagers, ever since Ben died, for almost fifteen years now.

And to them, nothing has really changed. Ben has always been right at Klaus' side. Klaus who has always been able to see him and has always treated him as though Ben were just as present, just as _real_ as any living person around them.

So for them, the fact that their siblings are suddenly able to see Ben as well doesn't really change anything at all. And, yeah, it might even take the two of them a bit to get used to this whole Ben-being-alive-again business.

So, Ben just shrugs at Klaus, giving a sardonic little smile, and his brother's lips promptly quirk in a grin as well.

Then, they turn towards their other siblings once more. Only to are faced with several rather intent looks as their siblings clearly try to decipher what just went on between them. Yeah, good luck with that. They'll just have to get used to the fact that after spending more than a decade stuck with just each other, Klaus and Ben can easily fit an entire conversation - including a small existential crisis on Ben's end - into just a few glances.

Klaus just ignores their siblings staring and instead finally answers Luther's question. “Magnus helped me before, back when I first ran away from home and was living on the streets for a bit.”

Ben sees a rather suspicious frown immediately overtake Diego's face. He can even guess just what Diego is likely thinking. With that phrasing Klaus just made Magnus sound like he might be one of his drug dealer friends.

Magnus a drug dealer. Ben almost wants to snort at the mere idea. Yeah, that’s so far from the truth it’s almost laughable. Quite the opposite is true actually.

Everyone who lives on or works the streets of New York knows that the area around Magnus’ apartment complex is completely off limits for drug dealing. Sure, normal people don’t know just _why_ that particular area is off limits and they most likely have never even heard the name Magnus Bane before much less know that it has something to do with him, but the fact remains that there is a drug-free zone right smack in the middle of Brooklyn. It's a safe zone.

And Ben doesn’t know whether that perimeter has always existed or whether Magnus only set it up after Klaus – fifteen and already neck-deep in the drug scene, but not yet having quite gotten into any of the really hard stuff - moved in with him, maybe trying to remove the very real temptation for Klaus of having dealers camping out right in front of their home. Either way, by the time Ben realized it was there at all, the drug-free safe area had already become a well-kept secret amongst those living on New York’s streets.

Even New York’s criminal underground doesn’t try moving in on that part of the city anymore. Misfortune tends to follow those who do.

So, yeah, imagining Magnus as a drug dealer just seems entirely ludicrous to Ben.

But before he can speak up to reassure Diego – which he has to remind himself once more, is something he can _do_ now, speak up and just communicate with all of his siblings if he chooses to – Allison is already interjecting, clearly concerned about something entirely different.

"And you think this Magnus would just help us? _All_ of us?” she asks, skeptical but also with a certain amount of urgency in her voice, clearly so very worried about them getting separated. “He won't care about the fact that you are younger than you should be, younger than when you must have been when he actually met you. Or that you’ll be bringing _six siblings_ along with you?"

But Klaus just grins at her cheerfully, waving his hand dismissively, phone pressed to his ear as he waits for someone to pick up at the other end. "Ah, don't you worry about that, he won’t even blink at the age thing. I don’t think there is anything in this world that could truly surprise Magnus.”

Ben quirks a smile of his own, commenting sardonically, "Even less so if you’re involved."

“Hey, might I remind you that you were there as well!” Klaus promptly protests in mock offense.

Ben shrugs with a grin. Trying to ignore the fact that he suddenly has the full attention of their three other siblings.

Ben just raises his eyebrows at them. He can already guess what it is that has them all frowning slightly.

Most likely, they are just now realizing that with the timeline they are being given - of Klaus having met Magnus after running away from home a few months after Ben’s death - by all rights, Ben shouldn't actually know Magnus. Because Ben would have already been dead by the time Klaus met him.

And Ben just wants to sigh.

He can already see a rather uncomfortable conversation in their collective future. A conversation where he will have to explain to his siblings that, _yes_ , he has in fact spent the past years almost constantly at Klaus’ side and, _yes_ , all those times Klaus claimed Ben to be right there with them, Ben had in fact _been right there_.

Honestly, Ben just never understood why their siblings had - right from the very _start_ \- so absolutely refused to believe Klaus' claim regarding Ben’s presence. Their brother who could talk to the dead was claiming to be talking to their dead brother. It just seemed to be such an obvious, _logical_ conclusion to him.

But then again, Ben might be a little biased, seeing as he is also the dead brother in question.

Either way, Ben isn’t necessarily looking forward to that particular discussion. Of course, his siblings will be sorry for ignoring him for more than a decade and there are probably going to be a whole lot of apologies from everyone. Which is nice and all, but the part that Ben already knows will tick him off the most, will be that most if not all of those apologies will be directed at Ben instead of Klaus.

Klaus who had decided only weeks after Ben's return as a spirit that their siblings ignoring Ben only meant Klaus should give him even _more_ attention, which meant that Klaus would talk freely over anyone else while conversing with Ben, which only served to annoy their siblings even more at his constant claims about Ben's presence, making them Klaus out, which had at some point turned into them disregarding pretty much anything Klaus said at any point no matter what it was actually about.

And Klaus hadn't cared, had just continued in the same vein, namely giving Ben all of his attention whenever Ben asked for it. And their siblings had just continued rolling their eyes at him, dismissing him, disregarding everything he said. For no other reason than Klaus claiming to be using the abilities everyone knew he had.

So, yes, Ben loves all of his siblings. He really, truly does. But he is definitely also quite painfully aware of their selective blind spots regarding their most eccentric brother.

Although, maybe now they’ll learn. Now that they’ve seen just how mistaken they’ve been over the years by dismissing Klaus, maybe now they’ll finally start to listen to him again.

And, well, if they _don’t_ \- if they continue in the same vein, if they refuse to learn from this - then Ben is finally able to make himself heard again and more than able - and absolutely _willing_ \- to beat some sense into their siblings from this point forward.

But either way, this certainly isn’t the time for that particular discussion, so Ben doesn’t react to their sudden focus on him beyond raising his eyebrows at them, keeping his face otherwise neutral.

And good lord, it really does feel nice to finally be able to communicate his thoughts on any matters to people without having to ask Klaus to be his medium.

And reassuringly, something about Ben's reaction, something about his easy, unreserved approval of Magnus, seems to also reassure their siblings, making even Diego relax once more.

And then, Klaus' attention very obviously diverts to the phone in his hand as someone finally picks up at the other end and they all crowd around even closer, wanting to hear as well.

“Magnus Bane,” an oh-so-familiar voice says. It almost gives Ben pause for a moment. God, it has been so long since he heard that voice.

Klaus clearly has the same problem, taking a moment before he finally manages to respond, “Hi, Magnus? It's Klaus."

There is a brief pause.

“Klaus?” Magnus then asks, sounding at least a little startled. “Well, you sound… different.”

Ah, right. The de-ageing thing.

“Um, yeah.” Klaus hesitates, clearly somewhat uncertain how to continue. But finally he just shrugs and says, “Magnus, I kind of... We need your help.”

There is a slightly longer pause and some rustling on the other end as Magnus probably puts aside whatever he had been doing before.

“Alright,” he then says slowly, carefully, worriedly. “What do you need, sweetheart?”

And he sounds so honestly worried and, _god_ , Ben hadn’t even realized until now just how much he missed the warlock and his uncompromising concern for their well-being, his unreserved willingness to help. And yes, Ben had always been very much included in Magnus' worrying as well, spirit or not.

Magnus is actually the one person beside Klaus who always simply treated like Ben's presence was absolutely normal, as though his spirit's presence was worth just as much now as it had been while Ben had still been alive. And the unreserved acceptance from another person beside his brother had been worth more to his fifteen year old, so very recently deceased self, than Ben can possibly put into words.

“I have…” Klaus pauses and going by the look in his eyes, Ben isn't at all alone in his sudden realization of just how much he _missed_ Magnus. His brother breathes out and then just comes right out with it. “You are about to receive a call from social services about the seven children you are currently fostering. Children which include me, the ever-so-elusive Ben and the rest of my siblings, in all our not-quite-teenaged-but-oh-so-spectacular glory."

There is a pause. And then they can hear quiet laughter at the other end. “Well, it seems like you certainly have quite the story to tell."

Klaus just grins, clearly relieved at the easy acceptance. As much as they had expected Magnus to just go along with this, it's still reassuring to have it confirmed.

“Oh, do I ever,” Klaus says with a rather dramatic sigh.

Some more quiet laughter. “So, where exactly am I picking the lot of you up?”

Which has all of them just look at each other rather cluelessly as they realize they don’t even know which hospital they are currently in. There is a bit of scrambling and finally Luther finds a hospital pamphlet and they quickly pass on the information.

"Alright, I'll be there soon," Magnus says. "Anything else?"

Klaus quickly adds on, “Well, social services are already here. And they seem rather intent on carting us off to god-knows-where.”

“Oh dear," Magnus says and there is some more rustling at the other end, the warlock clearly already in motion. "It'll take me a bit to get things sorted but I should be there within the hour. Just stay where you are and I'll see you in a bit. And say hi to Ben for me.” And then the line clicks, only the dial tone remaining before Klaus cheerfully hangs up.

Ben just smiles.

That’s Magnus for you. Help first, ask questions later.

And Ben can see Luther frowning and Diego’s eyebrows rising on his forehead in surprise, both of them clearly baffled at the apparently so easy acceptance.

“Within the hour?" Diego asks incredulously. "I thought you said he lives in Brooklyn?”

“Oh, he does, but that's not really a problem for Magnus,” Klaus says as he waves a hand dismissively and then proceeds to pull Ben back towards the bed, settling on it crossed-legged as Ben lets his feet dangle over the edge, sitting close enough for their shoulder to touch and for one of Klaus’ knees to rest halfway on Ben’s thighs.

To Ben, the points of contact feel grounding, an assurance that he is truly alive again, that he is _real_.

They hear Luther ask Allison quietly, “How can traveling here from Brooklyn not be a problem if he is planning on coming here so quickly _and_ get everything sorted?”

And Ben and Klaus just share a not-so-secret smile. Their siblings are about to learn that the seven of them are not nearly as special as they’ve always been led to believe, no matter what abilities they may have.

Introducing their siblings to the Shadowworld should turn out to be amusing at the very least.

+++

Klaus thinks that life couldn't actually get much better right now.

Sure, being a kid again hadn’t necessarily been on his wish list, but their collective de-aging also got him Ben back. So, there is absolutely no way Klaus is _ever_ even going to complain about it in any manner, as much as the thought of going through puberty again already makes him shudder.

And on top of having Ben back, Klaus is also about to see Magnus again. Magnus who has always been his guarantee of a way out, that absolute safe place in the back of his mind, safe in the knowledge that if Klaus ever got himself into a situation he truly couldn't get himself out of, Magnus was just a phone call away and would immediately come to his aid, no matter what.

And now, not only is he going to get to see Magnus, but the warlock is also going to take them in - it's not even a question in Klaus' mind whether Magnus will offer doing exactly that, the man always being far too willing to help anyone in need - which means that they will be _safe_. Completely and utterly safe.

As long as they are with Magnus, nothing will be able to so much as touch them, of that Klaus is absolutely sure.

And he hasn't had that sort of assurance ever since his tremendously idiotic decision to leave Magnus’ loft and follow Mike onto the streets, thinking he had found the love of his life. By the time Klaus realized that Mike had only been aiming to get him fully hooked on every drug known to man, he had been in too deep and far too ashamed to go crawling back to Magnus, despite knowing that the man would immediately have taken him back in.

Pride is a really shitty thing to have sometimes.

But point is, Klaus has Ben at his side – alive! - and he is about to get Magnus back as well and he even has the rest of his siblings right here with him. That's three for three. Honestly if this time travel thing keeps going in this vein, then Klaus might just become a fan after all.

So, he just happily watches the happenings outside their door from where he is sitting right next to Ben on the bed.

The social workers came to check on them and then 'forgot' to close the door behind them again, most likely wanting to make sure that they don't get up to any sort of trouble, possibly able to sense the troublemakers in them. Which is admittedly entirely fair.

And it's not like Klaus or his siblings actually care about the door being left open. It actually gives them a nice view of the corridor, the nurses' station and the going-ons in front of their room.

And then as promised, only about forty minutes after the phone call, they see one of the social workers disappear down the hallway only to return a few minutes later. With company.

“I am sorry for the mix-up, Mr. Bane, but we were working under the assumption that they didn’t have a place to stay. A note in their hospital files indicates that one of them told the police that there wasn’t anyone they could call, so we just assumed...”

And then there is the voice that Klaus knows so very well, coming closer.

“I can certainly accept that something like this could happen, Ms. White." Magnus pauses for effect, the coming 'but' hanging in the air. "However, please do not try to blame my children for the confusion, no matter what the police report might say. They are _children_. It should not be on them to make sure that any agencies, the hospital _or_ the police have their information straight. I have been worried sick, so of course I'm happy to find out that they've been safe here the entire time. But I would very much like to request that their mysteriously disappeared medical files be found as soon as possible, lest something like this happen again.”

"Yes, of course, Mr. Bane," the woman assures quickly."I will personally make sure of it."

Klaus is already grinning.

That’s Magnus alright, whirlwinding his way into the situation, sounding absolutely reasonable while making things up on the fly, dazzling everyone around him to the point that they don’t even realize they’ve entirely lost control until everything is already said and done.

And as colorful as Magnus may appear to other people, as eccentric as he dresses, as much flourish as he puts into even the simplest of his actions, Klaus has never seen anyone around him even consider dismissing him or anything Magnus has to say. There is just something about the warlock that makes people take note, that makes them _listen_.

It's certainly an enviable quality to have.

+++

Diego watches the doorway, not quite sure what to expect.

Don't get him wrong, it's truly convenient that this acquaintance of Klaus' - and _Ben's_ , don't ever fucking forget Ben! - can apparently get them out of this mess without much of a struggle.

But then Klaus mentioned having met this guy while living on the streets after running away from home. And Diego's mind had immediately taken a darker turn.

Because he knows for a fact that it had been in those first few years after running away from home that Klaus must have been pulled into the drug scene. He had run into his brother when they were both nineteen, only to realize with horror that his still teenaged brother was already hooked on pretty much every drug out there. And Diego knows enough about the streets to be well-aware that Klaus was the exact _type_ that dealers purposely try to lure into their orbit. Fragile and pretty and desperate and alone.

So, yes, Diego can picture very well just what might have happened to his brother in those few years after running away. And he has been itching to find the piece of shit responsible and rip them apart ever since.

And at the mention of Klaus meeting this Magnus as a teenager, Diego's mind had immediately turned towards this guy possibly being involved in Klaus’ initial foray into drugs.

But then there is also Ben's obvious approval and even anticipation at the prospect of seeing this Magnus person again, which makes the thought of him being responsible for Klaus' drug problems seem more than unlikely.

Diego frowns slightly as he leans back against the wall between beds that holds his two still unconscious siblings - Five will be pissed when he wakes and realizes he missed all the action - listening with half an ear to the increasingly agitated phone conversations the social workers continue having in front of their room.

The words 'misfiled paperwork' seem to be coming up a lot and the name ‘Bane’ is mentioned multiple times in increasingly reverential tones. Just who is this guy who is about to get them out of this mess?

The phone conversation earlier was honestly a little bizarre. How could this Magnus just simply accept the fact that Klaus is suddenly much younger than he should be, seemingly without any real surprise even? Diego _himself_ hasn’t quite managed to wrap his head around the whole being de-aged thing.

And the man had also seemed entirely unbothered by the fact that he has been roped into a scheme not at all of his own making. A scheme which also involves him taking on responsibility for several children he has never even met before.

Although, it's not even so much his brothers' certainty that this man - whoever he is - would be _willing_ to help them that Diego finds so perplexing. But rather their  certainty that he'll also be _able_ to do all that he said.

Because right now the seven of them don’t even officially _exist_ in this reality - being far too young to be able to claim their real identities, which are already taken anyway – and thus adopting them should be impossible if only due to lack of official paperwork on them.

Which means if this guy wants to officially adopt them – or foster them or whatever – he will first have to fake their identities including bullshit family histories and records of their previous foster homes. And only _then_ will he be able to also put himself down as their foster parent.

Any single one of these processes would involve a truly stupid amount of paperwork, even if done illegally. But doing all of that in the rather ridiculous-sounding timeframe of sixty minutes…

But Klaus and Ben seem entirely, unreservedly certain.

And Diego is starting to get the feeling that there might be _something_ about this situation that he isn't aware of at all, some piece of information he is missing that would help all of this make sense.

He eyes his two brothers where they are huddled together on Ben's bed. Yeah, going by their expression they definitely know something that Diego doesn't.

But as focused as he is on the two of them, he also sees them perk up at the voices getting closer form down the corridor. One of those voices is the same as the one they had heard over the phone.

And it's barely forty-five minutes since their phone call and there is simply no way anyone would be able to get all the required paperwork settled and also somehow make their way all the way here in that timeframe.

Well, unless he is some sort of magician or he can time travel like Five.

But no use in wondering about it now. It looks like they will truly be going home with this guy, so Diego will get his answers soon enough.

So, he just listens - admittedly rather impressed - as the man with the voice they heard over the phone promptly makes it clear to everyone gathered in front of their door that he doesn’t really care whether the blame for this supposed screw up is on the police, the EMTs who had picked them up, the nurses or the social workers themselves.

As long as Diego and his siblings aren’t blamed.

Hm, Diego can definitely get behind that sort of mindset.

And then the man belonging to the voice finally appears in their doorway. And whatever Diego had been expecting, it certainly hadn't been _this_.

Asian features, stylish, glittering, _expensive_ clothes, make-up and jewelry. He looks like a _more_ colorful, if also slightly more classy version of Klaus' future self. Which is just... Diego hadn't thought _anyone_ aside from his brother could pull off this sort of 'style'.

There is also a sort of absolute surety to the man's movements that cannot be faked. Not in that cocky, street smarts kind of way, but in the way of someone who knows themselves, _knows_ they can take on anything thrown their way. All fluid grace and absolute self-assurance. It's the sort of ingrained, instinctual, natural grace that Diego has been working towards his entire life.

The guy is also still speaking to the social workers outside their door, who are trying to get him to clear up something supposedly urgent in the paperwork.

"Of course, I'll be happy to help you with whatever issues you have yet to figure out with that apparently misfiled paperwork. But first, I will require a moment with my children. _Alone_."

He looks and sounds so friendly and amicable while effectively telling them to fuck off, not one of the other adults even looks offended. Diego is honestly a little impressed.

They watch as the man then proceeds to calmly, unceremoniously, unhesitatingly close the door in the other adults’ faces, not leaving any room for objections.

And then, he finally turns towards them, lets his gaze sweep across the room.

Diego finds it hard to describe the look in his eyes. It’s warm but also really damn intent, attentive but kind, assessing but open.

Finally, the man’s eyes settle on Klaus. A pause and then one of his eyebrows rises - most likely at seeing Klaus so much younger than he should be in this reality - even as a rather amused expression spreads over his face.

There is a brief moment of silence.

And then Klaus is hopping up from the bed, flailing his way across the room while dragging Ben along with him by the wrist and proceeds to just throw himself at the man, hugging him around the waist.

The man immediately returns the gesture, a warm smile curving his lips as he sighs good-naturedly, "Oh sweetie, how do you even get yourself into these sorts of situations?"

Klaus laughs almost quietly - suddenly seeming so much calmer and quieter and just more settled than Diego has ever seen his brother before - even as he loosens his hold to pull away slightly and grin up at the man.

"I'd say 'you wouldn't believe me if I told you', but then again this also isn't the weirdest bind you've seen me in."

At his side, Ben quirks a grin, his eyes entirely focused on the man as well. "Now, isn't that the truth. I think nothing can beat that naked summoning thing you tried."

“Hey, you were there as well!" Klaus immediately protests. "I didn't see you trying to stop me, dear brother of mine.”

_Wait, summoning? What in the world are his brothers talking about?_

But the man’s eyes have already settled on Ben, their long-lost brother.

“Ben?” he asks carefully, almost cautiously, his arm still settled across Klaus' shoulders where their brother is now happily leaning into the man's side.

And the smile that stretches over Ben’s face as he nods is so beautiful and fragile, it just pulls at Diego’s heartstrings. What is it about this man that suddenly has both his brothers so completely, utterly _open_?

“Hi, Magnus," Ben says quietly.

The smile on the man’s face is warm and open and bright and, damn it all, Diego can already tell that there is nothing dubious about this guy at all.

“Well, I must say, it is so very wonderful to finally meet you face to face, Ben," he says warmly.

“Same," his brother just replies, shifting slightly and standing so close to Klaus' side that Diego almost misses the small movement of the man's hand switching from Klaus' to Ben's shoulder, even as his arm remains where it is around Klaus. Ben's smile just widens at the contact.

And the man easily smiles back. And then, with a glance at the still closed door, he suddenly looks all business.

“Alright, let’s get some things sorted real quick. I fixed the paperwork and a friend of mine made sure to misfile it just enough to be believable but social services should be able to find all the files within a day or two if they really look for them. So, for all intents and purposes I am now your foster parent. I'll show you the paperwork later so you can make any adjustments you might want.”

Diego feels his frown return. So, this guy really managed to do all that he promised? In thirty minutes? Not even organized crime would be able to fix all of this within that little time.

But Klaus and Ben clearly believe him, apparently not seeing to doubt what he just said.

"Thanks, Magnus," Klaus grins up at him, looking quite cozy where he is squished in between this man and his not-dead-any-longer brother.

“Aw, darlings, you know you can always call me if you need help." The man smiles. Another glance at the still closed door. "Now, how about a quick round of introductions so I’ll be able to tell my flock of children apart and then we can get out of here and back to my place. I already set up rooms for you lot, although some of you will have to double up for now. We can figure everything else out once we are home.”

And Diego wants to throw his hands up in frustration.

None of this makes any sense and he can't read this guy at all.

He is all warm smiles and open arms and he also seems to have quite a bit of power, apparently able to easily screw around with official paperwork without any sort of advance warning and he showed up here personally to pick them up without any incentive beyond Klaus asking him to and he also hasn't really reacted to the fact that Klaus is younger than he would have been even when they originally met... Not to even mention that it apparently took him all of thirty minutes to get them new identities, get himself assigned as guardian, come here and oh-by-the-way also rearranged his apartment to suit their needs.

Even leaving the legal implications aside, the rest of this should already be simply, factually, _physically_ impossible.

But Klaus just nods cheerfully and Ben continues to smile slightly - both of them clearly happy to just accept everything they are being told as though there were nothing out of the ordinary about any of this - and, yeah, there is definitely something Diego is missing here. And with his suspicions and protective instincts already mostly reassured, he is starting to very much look forward to finding out just what that 'something' might be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I tried adding a few more POVs in this chapter and I hope it wasn’t too confusing what with having so many characters in one place. Would love to know what you think :)
> 
> And the way I understood it, tua is set in a fictional place called 'The City', so for this I kind of just imagined tua taking place in a North American city far enough from New York that they won't have to avoid going outside for fear of running into their adult alter egos but close enough that they can easily visit if needed. I don't think I'll ever specify, so just pick whichever city you think fits best :D
> 
> As for whether to make this pre or post sh canon, I still haven't made up my mind. Like, at all. I just keep coming up with various scenes for both versions and so far both have also gotten the exact same number of votes from you guys as well (and thanks to everyone who let me know their preference!) :D But now I'm also a little stuck, because I'll _have_ to pick one in order to write the next chapter... 
> 
> So, in case someone wants to throw their hat into the ring with either the pre or the post sh canon version, please do! At this point, I'm honestly hoping that there will be some sort of majority for one of them, because otherwise I might actually get stuck here, simply due to not being able to make up my mind XD
> 
> And thanks so much for all your lovely comments and kudos on the last chapter (*^^*)


	3. Chapter 3

So.

Magic.

Diego is stares up at the unfamiliar ceiling over his bed – his _new_ bed, in his new _room_ , in his new _home_ \- as he tries to work through everything that happened today and everything that was revealed.

Once they had gotten the introductions at the hospital out of the way, Magnus had promptly proceeded to dazzle the staff and the social service people, thrown a bit of subtle magic - which is a _thing_ apparently - around to get his way and to make sure no one really questioned him, while also making the right people forget about ever having met them or at least unable to recall any details about them.

And then, the man had brought them all home to his place. Via dimensional portal.

Because it turns out that this acquaintance of Klaus and Ben’s is apparently a warlock. As in, half-demon. Which means he is not only immortal but also has _actual_ magic.

Something which Magnus had explained to them after a brief tour through the apartment, showing them the rooms he had prepared for them all. Allison had claimed one room for herself and Vanya, Luther and Five in the next, which leaves Diego with the inseparable pair of Klaus and Ben.

Well, Five and Vanya still haven't woken up but after scanning them magically Magnus had said they were just sleeping off the exhaustion of overusing their powers and that they are likely going to wake some time tomorrow.

And then, Magnus had then proceeded to explain the world of magic, of angels and demons, to them.

Explained that there are _actual_ dimensions called heaven and hell, that there are real angels - as in celestial beings embodying all that is good and righteous - and real demons - as in actual incarnations of evil -, that the eternal war of good versus evil is a thing, that vampires and werewolves and fairies and warlocks and pretty much everything else you can imagine actually _lives_ on earth, the fact that there is true immortality and actual magic…

Although, Diego honestly doesn't really care all that much about the revelation of there being more supernatural shit out there than just him and his siblings. It might have been a bit of a surprise just how far that world goes, but really it's not like they aren't used to the utterly absurd in their lives already anyway.

Allison can bend anyone to her will, Klaus sees dead people, Five travels through time and space, Ben has a portal to another, tentacle-creature infested dimension in his stomach and Vanya even caused the apocalypse. Not to even mention the fact that they are all thirty years old but stuck in the bodies of their kid selves, which might honestly be the most normal thing about them.

Sure, it had been a bit of a surprise to find out how truly non-spectacular they are compared to some of the creatures apparently inhabiting this earth right alongside normal people. But quite honestly, Diego had never actually assumed he and his siblings were the only ones.

He is actually most intrigued by Magnus' description of those half-angel warrior types who apparently have a predilection for using bladed weapons like Diego himself does. Measuring his own skills against one of those sounds like a fun way to spend his time.

He has questions, so many questions. But by the time they had made it through the general explanation of the Shadowworld, it had already been so late into the night that Magnus had suggested they postpone any further discussions until tomorrow, before collectively ushering them all to bed.

Which is how Diego finds himself blinking up at an unfamiliar ceiling in what will be their home for the foreseeable future. Well, at least if they truly decide to stay here.

Although, Diego is getting the definite impression that no matter what the rest of them may decide, Klaus and Ben aren’t going to agree to leaving this place. Ever since Magnus had appeared at the hospital, Diego's brothers had stuck to the man like glue, barely leaving his side at all.

Which might also be why Diego just can't seem to fall asleep, seeing as the other two beds in his room are still empty, neither Klaus nor Ben having returned from supposedly getting ready for bed in the bathroom.

And Diego knows he won't be able to fall asleep until he is sure his two brothers are okay, one of whom he hasn't seen for fifteen years and whose presence here still seems a little unreal if he is entirely honest.

So, after another few minutes of staring at the dark ceiling and then Diego finally gives up with an annoyed huff, swinging his legs out of bed, determined to go find his brothers and drag them to bed, so he can finally get some rest.

+++

Luther quite honestly doesn't know what to think anymore.

Less than two weeks ago, he was still on the moon, all by himself, not having had any sort of contact with his siblings for a long time.

And then within a few days, he came back to earth for his father's funeral, saw all his siblings again, tried to solve a murder mystery which turned out to be neither a murder nor a mystery in the end, just a manipulative trick – apparently one of many - of their father' to force them all back home.

Which is only where the world-shattering revelations started. Because then his long-lost, time-traveling brother returned with news of the impending apocalypse, not to even mention that Vanya turned out to have powers, that Allison might still like him and that his most eccentric brother's claim about their dead brother's spirit still hanging around had been absolutely true all along.

And Luther didn't get any time whatsoever to work through _any_ of those revelations, because then their supposedly power-free sister unintentionally caused the apocalypse.

And their subsequent time travel not only resulted in Ben coming back to life, once more joining them as his kid-self, but also in all of them getting stuck in their de-aged bodies with nowhere to go.

Which had Klaus call in help from someone the rest of them had never even heard him talk about, someone their brother – or rather brothers, as in plural – seem to trust unequivocally, a someone who not only agreed to take them in but then also promptly proceeded to reveal the existence of an entire supernatural world existing alongside their own.

Honestly, the past few days have simply been a little much.

So now, Luther is lying in bed, his head too full for him to even attempt to fall asleep but also so incredibly tired that his eyes are having trouble focusing on anything.

Then, he hears something. A muffled noise outside the door to his room, almost like someone trying to sneak past.

He leans up in his bed, hesitates for a moment, but then he just can't help himself, simply not feeling safe enough in this place yet to just leave it be. He quietly gets up, throwing a glance at the still sleeping Five in the other bed before he sneaks over to the door, carefully opening it. Just a sliver.

And promptly comes face-to-face with Diego who is apparently trying to sneak past his room. His brother immediately lifts his finger to his lips, telling him to be quiet, then points in the direction of the living room.

Luther tilts his head. Now that he is out of his room, he can hear the muffled voices coming from that part of the loft as well.

So, he nods at the gesture to be silent and slips out of his room to join Diego. If his brother is sneaking around an unfamiliar place then it's only right Luther be his backup. As much as Klaus and Ben clearly seem to trust this Magnus person, Luther doesn't like the idea of any of them being on their own in this place.

And as if on cue, the door opposite his own opens, Allison sticking her head into the corridor.

Clearly, Luther and Diego weren't being quite as quiet as they had both been hoping.

She gives them a look and then simply joins them as well. So, that makes three of them.

+++

Allison sticks close to the walls, just like her two brothers as they sneak along. Even once they reach the doorway leading to the living room, they don't quite leave the shadows of the corridor their bedrooms are connected to.

It’s not like they actually need to get any closer in order to see everything quite clearly from where they are standing.

Because there on the couch are Ben and Klaus sitting on either side of Magnus, Klaus unashamedly tucked entirely into the man’s side, while Ben sits with a bit of distance between them. But the hand he has twisted into the fabric of Magnus' robe clearly shows that it is more pretense than anything else.

The three of them are talking quietly, although not whispering either. Their hushed voices are clearly less for secrecy and more about trying not to wake anyone else in the apartment who might be asleep.

"You know, I just thought I could make it on my own," Klaus is mumbling. "I never even intended to stay away for so long. I just wanted to be try and then come back." He tilts his head slightly to look up at Magnus. "You know?"

"Oh, sweetie. I know," Magnus says, although there is something sad in his voice that makes Allison desperately wish he knew just what exactly they are currently talking about. "But my door is always open, you know that, right?"

Klaus nods his head against Magnus' shoulder. "I know."

Magnus's smile is kind as he briefly tightens the arm around Klaus in a hug. "As long as you know that."

There is a minute or two of silence before Magnus looks at their other brother. "What about you, Ben? How have you been?" he asks warmly.

And Allison feels herself frown slightly, a reaction mirrored by Luther and Diego at either side of her. She knows they all missed something essential about Ben’s existence even beyond his death, she does. But it is still somewhat odd to have this man talk so freely, so familiarly to their brother, who should have been dead by the time Magnus ever met Klaus.

Ben however clearly doesn't seem to think it odd in any way, just shrugging slightly, looking almost subdued as he replies quietly, "It's been alright. Like you told us, as long as I stayed close to Klaus, I was alright, couldn't even feel the drain on me. I just... just _once_ I made the mistake of taking off for a bit because we fought and I was just so angry at Klaus. So, I left. It wasn’t even for long. But I almost didn't find my way back again, almost got completely lost in it."

Ben is pale when he finishes and there is something haunted in Klaus' eyes as he watches his brother.

And Magnus seems to decide to finally give up on the pretense, just reaching out to wrap his free arm around Ben, pulling him fully into his free side. There is a few second delay and then they can practically see some of the tension bleed out of Ben's form as he relaxes into Magnus as well, perfectly mirroring Klaus on the man's other side.

There is something caught in Allison’s throat.

Because what she just heard almost sounds like Ben has been far more of a steady presence at Klaus' side than she had ever assumed, even after so recently finding out about his spirit having lingered at all.

What Ben just said, almost sounded like he has been _constantly_ at Klaus side, like his spirit stuck around _all_ the time. And Allison doesn't even want to think about what that would mean, doesn't even want to remember all those times she and the others had just brushed Klaus' various, _numerous_ mentions of Ben aside over the years.

She tries to swallow past the lump in her throat, blinking rapidly as she makes herself focus on the three people now sitting in comfortable silence on the couch.

And as she watches, Allison can’t help but wonder just how these three came to be so close. Because her brothers just look so… comfortable? Content? Relaxed? All of those seem to fit but at the same time entirely insufficient to describe what she is reading on her brothers’ faces.

There is just none of that constant alertness they all had trained into them as children, both of her brothers seeming to have entirely lost that watchfulness as they sit there on the couch. They look like they don’t even worry about something being able to touch them right now.

Yeah, that’s it.

Ben and Klaus look like they feel perfectly safe, like they are comfortable and where they are supposed to be.

They look like this is _home_ to them.

Allison has never seen any of her siblings look like this, not even when they were actual children. And she doesn’t quite want to think about what that fact says about their father’s house.

Although, the reminder that she is currently intruding on a clearly private moment between her brothers and this man is jarring, almost makes her cringe.

Her own history with taking another’s free will away has made her rather sensitive to anything that might be considered violating someone’s person in any way, even if it is just about eavesdropping instead of letting them tell you whatever they _want_ to tell you in their own time.

She hears, Klaus speak up once more, “What about you, Magnus? Anything of interest happen while we were gone?"

But she is done sneaking around and listening in on conversations not meant for her, already turning away - not wanting to wait around to actually listen to Magnus' reply - to tug at both Luther and Diego’s shirts, getting their attention. She raises her eyebrows at them, pointing in the direction of their new bedrooms. The bedrooms they acquired due to the generosity of the man they are currently spying on.

Her brothers seem to get what she is trying to say without words and even though they don’t look particularly happy about it they clearly concede the point, nodding and following her when she quietly starts making her way back towards their rooms.

They can just ask any other questions they might have tomorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for taking so long to update! I somehow got stuck with the whole pre-post thing. Like, completely.  
> The vote even came up pretty clearly as post sh (and I adore you all for giving your input!) and I even thought it would be easy to write ('cause malec fluff!), but then the sh epilogue happened and promptly made any plot ideas I had for this fic either entirely unfeasible or rather likely to just devolve into crack... And now I'm considering making this pre sh after all because I simply can't seem to figure something out for the other version (._.)
> 
> So, this chapter is kind of just an interlude to give the others' initial impressions of Magnus and also ends right at the point where I would take things either the pre or the post sh route.  
> Would love to know what you think and any sort of input is absolutely welcome :D
> 
> And thanks again for all your lovely comments and kudos (*^^*) They really kept me motivated for this fic despite having gotten myself so very effectively stuck!


End file.
